NBA Rumors: Mavericks Reportedly Planning To Acquire Andre Iguodala From Grizzlies For Courtney Lee
Following the retirement of team icon Dirk Nowitzki at the end of the 2018-19 NBA season, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly hoping to acquire a new veteran leader by bringing in 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for one of their own grizzled vets — shooting guard Courtney Lee.
In a report published on Wednesday night, Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com (via 247Sports) wrote that, per sources, the Mavericks have made a trade offer to the Grizzlies that would send Lee and a future second-round pick to Memphis, with Iguodala heading to Dallas in return. However, it appears that the Grizzlies have not been impressed with the Mavericks’ offer so far, as Fisher added that the team is apparently “unwilling to take on the ballast” of Lee’s contract, which will pay him over $12.7 million in the 2019-20 NBA season.
Should the Mavericks come up with an acceptable offer for Iguodala, the 35-year-old wingman would either come off the bench or start for the team, the report added. Iguodala, who had spent the last few seasons with the Golden State Warriors, was recently traded to the Grizzlies in order to free up salary cap space for their top acquisition in this year’s free agency season, former Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell.
As further noted by Fisher, Iguodala is currently in the twilight of a successful career, which has also seen him play in one All-Star Game and get named in two All-Defensive Team selections in 15 NBA seasons. Per Bleacher Report, Iguodala started 13 out of the 68 regular-season games he played in last season, averaging 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists for a Warriors team that fell just short of winning their third straight NBA championship.
The Warriors are retiring Andre Iguodala’s No. 9 jersey.
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?? 2015 Finals MVP pic.twitter.com/xrn8WT2bxu— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 7, 2019
While Bleacher Report opined that Andre Iguodala might not be a good fit for a rebuilding Memphis Grizzlies team that could miss the playoffs, the publication suggested that the Dallas Mavericks would be an “intriguing” destination for the veteran. The Mavs are expected to make a strong push for the postseason in the 2019-20 campaign, as last season’s Rookie of the Year winner, Luka Doncic, will finally be joined by former New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis, who missed the entire 2018-19 season while recovering from a torn ACL.
Courtney Lee, who will be entering his 12th year in the NBA in the coming season, was acquired from New York along with Porzingis in the January midseason trade that sent several Mavs players, including young point guard Dennis Smith Jr., to the Knicks. For the 2018-19 campaign, the 33-year-old Lee averaged career-lows of four points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 34 games split between the Knicks and the Mavericks, per Basketball-Reference.
